OFFICIALS WORKING TO MAKE POLLUTED KIDDIE BEACH SAFER.

Byline: Cecilia Chan Staff Writer

OXNARD - The Channel Islands Harbor is home to four yacht clubs, nine marinas - and one of the most polluted beaches in Southern California.

Warning signs are posted frequently, cautioning swimmers to avoid contact with the bacteria-laden ocean water at the popular Kiddie Beach, rated the second-worst beach between Santa Barbara County and the Mexican border in 2000-01 by the Heal the Bay environmental group.

The area was at the top of the dirtiest-beach list in 1999-2000.

``From our point of view, it definitely is a sick beach and one that can be cured,'' said Lee Quaintance of the Beacon Foundation, a nonprofit environmental group. ``There's no reason why the beach can't be safe.''

The man-made beach, about 200 yards wide, is located in an enclosed area of the Ventura County-owned harbor and is favored for its pool-like conditions by families with young children.

County officials are pursuing a $1.5 million state grant and plan to commission a scientific study on the sluggish water circulation at the beach - which experts said exacerbates problems caused by the high bacterial count - and ways to improve it.

A $118,000 report completed this summer by Larry Walker Associates pointed to several sources for the pollution including bird, cat and dog feces; trash left on beach; and dumping of bait and fish waste.

Measures have already been taken to combat the problem with programs such as removing feral cats, installing bird diversion devices and putting out more trash cans at the beach.

Those steps enabled the county to remove in May the warning signs that had been posted since September 1999. The signs are required under a 1998 state law that required bacteria monitoring at bathing beaches.

``We saw an improvement in the water quality for a time out there, five weeks or so,'' said Bill Stratton, manager of technical services section with Ventura County Environmental Health. ``Then, in the last three to four weeks, we saw an increase in posted consistency.''

From May to Sept. 11, warning signs were posted at Kiddie Beach on 34 days.

More than 50 beaches along the 42-mile stretch of the county's coast line are tested weekly for bacterial. Because of its problems, Kiddie Beach is tested twice weekly in three spots, Stratton said.

Stratton said his department is working on permanent signs informing beachgoers of the history of water quality problems at Kiddie Beach and suggesting they may want to avoid going in the water.

The signs - in both English and Spanish - are expected to be ready by this month for posting at Kiddie Beach and nearby Hobie Beach, which is separated by a surge wall.

Another set of signs will inform the public what steps have been or will be taken to meet state water quality standards.

``This is to notify the public so they can make an informed decision whether or not to go into the water,'' Stratton said. ``We can't prevent people from going.''

So far the county has received no reports of people becoming ill after coming into contact with the water when the warning signs are in place. Stratton said illnesses could include eye, ear and nose infections and skin irritations.

However, Quaintance, who recently became a member of the Kiddie Beach Task Force, said the lack of any reports just means most people don't associate illness such as diarrhea or an ear infection with a day at the beach.

He also questioned whether posting signs about the beach's history will go far enough.

``I don't think the warnings are adequate, and I also think a lot of people unfortunately ignore the warnings. This can be dangerous.

``A lot more can be done, especially during the summer, to inform people,'' he said, suggesting that lifeguards disseminate the information to the public.

``My big interest is that we do a really good study - but not spend all the money on studying - and come up with a real good engineering study with practical means that can be tried and built within this budget.''

Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties, which also are wrestling with polluted beaches widespread in enclosed bays and harbors, are looking to do studies, said James Alamillo, director of the Heal the Bay report card program.

Alamillo said although the hydro-circulation studies that the various counties will undertake will be unique to a particular site, they will provide insight into an area never before examined.

``They'll not only help Ventura County garner a better understanding of what is happening in the harbor and give a better understanding for beachgoers, but (provide) more information about water quality at beaches.

``Swimming at beaches within enclosed bays and harbors can be very problematic for beachgoers and health agencies or county agencies in charge of resolving the issue,'' he said. ``If you are a parent you might think twice about taking your kid to such a beach.''

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Photo:

Michael McFadden, an environmental health technician with Ventura County, writes on a bottle of water sampled from Kiddie Beach at Channel Islands Harbor.

Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer